Villa to rent in Altea, Spain

Villa overview - owner's description

Home from home in the highly regarded Altea Hills resort, overlooking the Bay of Altea. Sleeps 7 (3 bedrooms) fantastic pool 50m from your door with great views

We hope you will feel at home from the moment you arrive. As you step through the front door, enjoy the spaciousness of the living room and dining area. Two sets of sliding patio doors open onto the wide terrace, which becomes your extended living area. The terrace offers a variety of views as you move along from the covered naya, which contains the outdoor dining area, past the indoor dining area, and around the corner to the secluded and peaceful mature garden. Walking down the steps from the terrace and garden takes you to a large downstairs patio, where you can enjoy reading your favourite book amidst the palms and bougainvillea and look up to the peak of the Sierra Bernia mountain range. Barbecue down in the patio or up on the terrace. Watch the sun set over the peaks of the mountain range and wait for Altea and the surrounding area below to light up. You cant beat sitting on the terrace at night after your sumptuous barbecue of local fish delicacies, feeling your cares slip away, mesmerised by the shimmering lights of Altea and La Nucia, and the sound of the cicadas. Look out for the fireworks in Altea on festival days.
Deneilian is fortunate to have perhaps the most beautiful of the Altea Hills swimming pools almost on its doorstep. The pool is split into a main pool and children's pool by a bridge and waterfall. Lie out on the sun beds on the grassy banks sloping down to the pool in the well-tended gardens, which command spectacular views.
The kitchen is well equipped and overlooks the garden. The adjoining trastero contains the washing machine. There is a guest WC upstairs. Downstairs, you will find the bedrooms - the master bedroom contains the double bed and en suite bathroom. The other bathroom downstairs contains a walk in shower, WC, basin and bidet. The bedrooms have sliding patio doors opening onto the downstairs patio - so you can fall straight out of bed and into the sunshine. There is no air con, but fans are provided for the rooms which you may wish to use on hot nights, but usually during the day you will only want to allow the sea breeze to cool the house naturally.

The property is ideal for two couples, as it has two separate bathrooms.

Please note that as a courtesy to guests who arrive after you, we ask that you do not smoke inside the property. Most people prefer to smoke outside anyway, so we hope this does not cause any inconvenience.

Altea Hills, the luxury resort overlooking the Bay of Altea
Altea marks the start of Costa Blanca North, where the scenery becomes greener and more mountainous than in the south. The relative lack of hotels, outside Benidorm, have allowed this most beautiful stretch of the Valencian coast line to flourish without package tourism. The Altea Hills Resort is the premier location to live on the Costa Blanca and reputedly home to some very famous names. So keep your eyes peeled. The setting of Altea Hills is breathtaking. Perched on the side of the spectacular Sierra Bernia mountain range as it meets the sea, the resort has stunning views of Altea village, the Sierra Helada mountain range and the the clear blue waters below.
The Altea Hills resort is built on a hillside, with the luxury 4 star hotel and the main facilities at the centre. You do need a car to get around, but you can walk downhill to the centre easily in 2-3 minutes (to reach the hotel pool, squash, sauna, gym, jacuzzi, spa, beauty centre, pub, social club, restaurant, tennis club etc.) If you wish to use the internet, you can pay at the reception of the hotel to use their business facilities at reasonable rates.

There is an excellent supermarket (the instore bakery should not be missed) at the main entrance to Altea Hills, but it is too far to walk in the heat, hence we recommend a car or use of taxis. There are many other large supermarkets in Calpe and Altea, plus a Carrefour near the huge shopping centre of La Marina, just off the motorway junction for Benidorm. For fish, look out for the stalls set up near the fishing boats in the main resorts, where you can choose your own catch fresh from the sea.

You may not want to leave the house and pool, but if you do...
The tennis club on site offers coaching in tennis and Valencian style tennis. The luxury resort hotel features cascading pools and also contains a spa, jacuzzi, sauna, squash and social club (charges may apply - the hotel was taken over by another company recently and the new owners are just as eager for owners and guests staying in Altea Hills to use the facilities - they obviously hope you will buy drinks and food etc but there is no obligation to do so. The tennis club is separately owned and is always keen for holidaymakers to play at the club). There is also a beauty therapy centre, hair salon, social club and restaurant. A bar offers occasional live music. The challenging Golf Club Don Cayo is a few minutes drive from the house. Bonalba and Ifach clubs are well regarded golf clubs in the region. Altea Hills resort is connected by a winding road down to the Campomanes Greenwich Marina, which aims to be the best sports marina in the Mediterranean and is home to the yachts of the rich and famous. One of the finest paella restaurants overlooks the marina, or enjoy a drink at one of the many bars and cafes in this stylish resort, with adjoining small sheltered beaches.
The best restaurants are to be found within a 5-10 minute drive in Altea and Campomanes. In Altea, they are found both on the beach front and as you climb up through the the winding cobbled streets of the old town to the old church square. Or go for a drive to the paddy fields of the Albufera, an area of peculiar beauty, to the village of El Palmar. Little more than a street full of open air paella restaurants, people come from far and wide to sample the cuisine. Travel to Valencia is straightforward on the motorway, taking about an hour and a quarter. Valencia is now being appreciated as having as much to offer as Madrid and Barcelona for weekend breaks, and Villa Deneilian in Altea is a relaxing and convenient base from which to explore this fascinating and exciting city. The coastline of Valencia and the north eastern Costa Blanca has enjoyed a sailing boom since the Americas Cup when the eyes of the world focused on this area.

If you prefer to use taxis to get around, the Altea taxi service is very reliable and inexpensive. The operators usually speak English. A taxi from Altea to the villa should cost about 7 Euros. There is also a useful and scenic railway line which runs from Alicante to Denia, with three stops in Altea.

Altea is a great place to spend Christmas or New Year, with festivities usually continuing up to 6 January and weather which should be a lot warmer than Northern Europe (brrr...) In Deneilian we have installed a wonderful wood-burning fire, so its a great place to spend a festive Christmas or New Year.

The TV system provides more English language channels than were previously available (usually including Sky News, BBC World, Euronews, German MTV etc, subject to availability).

The local property manager has an office which is within walking distance in case you need any information about the property during your stay. There will be a charge of 50 euros payable locally if keys have to be collected outside office hours (including on a Sunday) so please try to arrange key collection during office hours (including on a Saturday).

Overall a beautiful villa in a lovely area. Weather was hot and sunny so we could relax on the balcony or at the excellent swimming pool. Very little contact with owners or their representative which was awkward as it would have been nice to talk to someone about the better local restaurants and explain how things work. No information or recommendations about places to visit.
One thing that was annoying more than anything was the fact that when you stay at a Villa towards the end of the season, previous guests would have left basic things around, for example we left a bottle of wine, drinks coffee sugar tea etc for the next people in as a matter of courtesy. On arrival at the Villa there was nothing, the cupboards were bare with not even any soap or toilet rolls. There was also no hairdryer. Maybe the owners should ask the cleaners not to take absolutely everything but just leave some basic essentials.

Following my previous review, I have spoken to the owner of the property and discussed my concerns. We had a very constructive chat and I am happy that the minor issues I identified will be fully addressed. As a result, I have raised my rating for the property and would certainly recommend it in the future.

Reply from Ian

Katherine,Thanks for your revised review. We do appreciate and act on feedback - such as replacing the barbecue immediately after you raised the matter, even though it was only a year old - we do know our guests use the barbecue several times a week as it is such a great terrace to have a barbecue with a sunset mountain and sea view. So this time we have bought a sturdier model.Kind regards Ian

We are a party of 5, 3 adults and 2 teenagers and have just returned from Villa Deneilian. We enjoyed the view from the terrace and the lovely pool area just nearby which never seemed to be busy. The area around was quiet but Altea, Benidorm, inland villages and the coast were nearby and easily accessible. Barbara was very helpful and the property was nice and clean when we arrived. Arrival instructions were easy to follow.

However, we thought the property could do with a bit of maintenance and TLC eg the barbeque was antique and very wobbly, potentially dangerous there were no towel rails/hooks in the main bathroom downstairs, so nowhere to hang wet towels the washing machine didnt work well and didnt seem to spin at all there were no tea towels in the kitchen there werent enough mugs or glasses the air conditioning didnt work and would only have been available in the upstairs room anyway one fan was broken only 2 sun loungers for 5 people the clothes dryer was rickety and broken. None of these are expensive and would make all the difference if replaced.

Reply from Ian

Katherine,Thanks for discussing the matters raised about our Altea Hills villa in your review with me by telephone, and I am pleased that you felt that this review was unfairly harsh and raised your rating to three stars, as shown in the revised review above from you. We were delighted that you really enjoyed the view from the terrace and the lovely pool area which you had to yourself most of the time even though it was high season. Altea Hills contains a mix of residents and holidaymakers, so the communal pool in our area of Altea Hills is not likely to be as busy as in complexes which are occupied solely by holidaymakers. As there was a gap after your booking, we were able to deal with all of the issues you raised. The washing machine was fixed - a part had to be replaced and now works well. It was a shame you did not ask the rep about the tea towels as they were still in the kitchen drawer where they were left for you, cleaned and ironed! At the end of the season we inspected all mugs and glasses and made new purchases and replaced the fan which broke down during your stay. There was also a third sun lounger in the bedroom cupboard during your stay, which was folded up and available to you. We don't provide sun loungers for the entire house because - it is sad to say - they are damaged by children jumping on them every year and one had just been removed as a result of damage from the guests. But we will always provide at least two sun loungers in the property and plenty of other chairs for everyone. And of course you are just two doors away from the fantastic communal gardens and pool with at least 30 sun loungers and parasols available for use on the grassy banks overlooking the pool or on the paved terracing. We are sorry that the barbecue was worse for wear by the end of high season, but it was only a year old and was replaced immediately with a sturdy shiny new model. We also replaced the clothes dryer immediately. We were grateful for pointing out the lack of towel hooks - we had refurbished the ensuite bathroom, providing a new bath and shower screen earlier in the year; and had overlooked providing sufficient towel hanging facilities when we did so. That has now been rectified, thank you. We had spent several thousands euros redecorating and refurbishing the villa earlier in the year, but we are sorry that you experienced these minor issues, and we thank you for correcting the impression of this review with your revised review above. Kind regards, Ian

Did everything we expected, nice and quiet at this time of year. We particularly enjoyed discovering the route to and from the supermarket through the tunnel and thus avoiding left turn issues off the main road for the rest of our stay. (Might be worth explaining this in the directions). We couldnt find the woodburner control instructions but think we managed to suss it out!
Otherwise everything very straightforward, many thanks.
Richard and Karen

We had an absolutely fantastic week staying at Villa Deneilian near to Altea, Costa Blanca. The accommodation was superb with magnificent views and in a wonderful and tranquil setting in the exclusive Altea Hills area.

The villa was well equipped and had outdoor terraces on both upper and lower floors - fabulous for breakfast in the sunshine. In the evening it was great to relax in front of the open log burning fire with a few beers/wines whilst listening to a CD (DVD/CD player + satellite TV).

Theres a nearby supermarket (5 mins in car) to buy your provisions and plenty of restaurants to choose from on the coast within a short drive. The villa also has a beautiful pool set in very pleasant gardens although, to be expected, the water was a tad chilly in February!

The location of the villa was brilliant, not only for the coast and for the many local places of interest but also for the many types of outdoor activity in the area.

In our week there we walked up the Penon de Ifach at Calpe (like the Rock of Gibraltar), did some rock climbing on the nearby crags at Toix, went canyoning in the Barranco del Infierno, ascended the via ferrata up the Ponoch mountain and had a memorable day scrambling along the Bernia Ridge.

Altogether a most enjoyable stay at a very reasonable price. Highly recommended whether you just want to chill out in the sun or tackle something more energetic as we did!

Louise

From Cheltenham

Plus points:
The villa is in a great position, close to beaches, neighbouring towns, supermarkets etc. The balcony was our hub, eating our meals out there and enjoying the view. The pool is just steps away from your front door and when we went in September we had it to ourselves 99% of the time
Minus points:
There is only one air conditioning unit in the villa, in the sitting room, and it did not work. Disappointing.
There is a woeful lack of bowls to serve salads, bread, puddings etc. We had to use saucepans to serve pasta and salad from. Very disappointing.
The washing machine broke during our stay. Unavoidable but annoying. It was fixed within 24 hours though so all good by end of stay.
The shower in the ensuite bathroom did not work. We managed, by sharing the other shower but again, disappointing.
It would have been nice to have an information book in the villa giving advice on where to go, the parking laws (blue edges means free from 2-4pm?) etc

In summary, with just a little more care and attention paid to maintenance and furnishing the kitchen this will be a great little villa. I would still go back but possibly not in high summer because of the air con issue. Id also take my own salad bowls!

Reply from Ian

Dear Louise,We are pleased that you rated the villa as excellent value, that you would definitely recommend it and that it met your expectations. Thank you for rating Villa Deneilian 4 out of 5 stars. We have since discussed your feedback on the issues you encountered, which have all been dealt with. Unfortunately all washing machines break down one day - this is only the second time in 7 years and we did manage to fix it within 24 hours as you mentioned. We tested the shower on your departure and it worked perfectly well at all times - to prevent any further issues we now explain in the instructions how it works - our guests have access to a rep at all times by telephone and they would always explain how to operate anything to you. We did have an information book in the villa providing local information, which took some time to put together but unfortunately it was accidentally removed by one of our guests during the high season. So we now provide this information in the arrival instructions provided when a guest makes a final payment. We don't include information on parking laws in case they change so it is best to call in at the friendly tourist office on Altea beach front (where there is a free car park) to find up to date information on parking. We have taken account of your helpful feedback and replaced a number of items. On the phone you felt that we should have provided individual bread baskets but we still think that providing tea plates meet most people's requirements and would be more hygienic, so for the avoidance of doubt for other bread basket lovers out there: be warned - we do not provide individual bread baskets in our villa! We have always provided one salad bowl and a fruit bowl, but we now provide an additional salad bowl as a result of your feedback, which we appreciate. We don't advertise the property as having air con; we find that it is better to leave the doors open when in the villa to enjoy the sea breeze. We also provide plenty of fans on stands which can be moved around as required, including fans for the bedrooms. Kind regards, Ian

8 other reviews

"Thanks - we really enjoyed our lovely winter break in Deneilian with great weather - warm and sunny in the day, but we made use of the wood burning fire in the night when the sun goes down. The outdoor pool and gardens have fantastic views over the bay - Benidorm looks like Manhattan on the far horizon, with Alteas twinkling lights in the foreground directly below Altea Hills. We liked the view from the covered patio area outside the living room - from there you have a partial sea view but more interesting at night we found the twinkling lights of Altea and the countryside below after a barbecue of the great local seafood the perfect way to chill out. It was a short walk to the gym, indoor pool and jacuzzi and the tennis club and squash courts for exercise. Altea has great restaurants, is unspoilt and sophisticated - completely different to the typical "Costa" scene. We particularly liked Ousteau for the lovely views of the Sierra Bernia moutain range at sunset and a restaurant in the old town (cant remember the name!) which had a tiny roof terrace table perched above the whole village at the level of the church tower! Altea is perfect for an evening stroll and Altea Hills is for us the best place to stay (its a secure gated resort built on a hill around the leisure and social club facilities of the hotel). We will be back to Deneilian and will recommend it to our friends. Thanks again." (Alex, Northumberland)

I had a very relaxing stay at Villa Deneilian and enjoyed days out to the excellent nearby beaches and interesting towns. Evenings were spent relaxing on the terrace enjoying the views and being well away from London! (Alex, London)

I had a very relaxing stay at Villa Deneilian and enjoyed days out to the excellent nearby beaches and interesting towns. Evenings were spent relaxing on the terrace enjoying the views and being well away from London! (Alex, London)

A charming villa in a charming location. A real home from home I felt a million miles away from the pressures of day to day life either sunbathing on the terrace or relaxing by the pool. I can’t wait to return. Highly recommended. (Gerd, Mannheim, Germany)

A charming villa in a charming location. A real home from home I felt a million miles away from the pressures of day to day life either sunbathing on the terrace or relaxing by the pool. I can’t wait to spend many more summers and English winters there. Highly recommended. (July 2006)

We spent a great week in this villa. Lovely, clean accommodation with everything you would need for a relaxing break.Great pool a short walk away and the resort was beautiful and picturesque.Mr D Kelly, Luton, UK

I had a very relaxing stay at Villa Deneilian and enjoyed days out to the excellent nearby beaches and interestig towns. Evenings were spent relaxing on the terrace enjoying the views and being well away form London!

" We spent a wonderful holiday in Altea staying at "Deneilian" in Altea Hills, which is a fabulous location.The facilities in the house are first class, with everything you need for a comfortable stay. We have wonderful memories of relaxing evenings on the terrace, which was so peaceful.The house is very close to a superb swimming pool set in lovely gardens.We thoroughly recommend "Deneilian" and will certainly stay there in the future." (Mrs Lilian Cody from Cwmbran, South Wales)

Location

This villa is:

1.1km from the nearest beach
500m from the nearest bar
500m from the nearest restaurant
1km from the nearest supermarket
61.3km from Alicante airport
3km from Altea old town
11.2km from Calpe and Penon dIfach
26.2km from Terra Mitica Theme Park
23.1km from Benidorm

Outside this villa in Altea, Spain

This villa is in a quiet area near the beach and golf. It has a shared pool, a balcony, a barbecue, a children pool area and a garage. Car hire is recommended as the villa is less than a 15 minute walk to at least a couple of shops, bars and restaurants; however parking is available if required.

The kitchen is also equipped with a coffee maker. The main dining table is upstairs, but there is also a table for eating outside on the upper terrace. There are some sun beds and outdoor armchairs / chairs. A sun umbrella is also available for use.
EXTRAS:
Any services negotiated directly with the rep (eg hire of cots etc) do not form part of your contract with me and must be arranged in advance with the local representatives, whose contact details you will be given on booking. Payment must be made directly to them on arrival. The prices are subject to variation by the local representatives and no responsibility is accepted for the provision of these services.

Private Owner From London, United KingdomMember since May 2006Member since May 2006

I have owned and rented two properties through this website for many years and the properties have proved very popular. The properties are second homes and are treated and furnished as such, but with an eye to being practical for our guests, so that they can enjoy their holiday with some home comforts, like DVDs and CDs.
Central to the provision of a great holiday is a great local representative and we are fortunate to have two excellent local property managers. You always have access to the owner by email in any event. All emails are notified to me by text message through the system and I try to respond as soon as I reasonably can. This means a more prompt reply is usually provided than it would be if you were booking with a large company. We are not renting the properties to build a big business, but to cover expenses, which is more difficult to achieve than most people imagine. I am a lawyer and work rather long hours, but I am usually able to respond to emails quickly, albeit often late in the day. I have done my best to provide all the information you need on the website, so do try to look for an answer there before asking a question. Don't forget that people make bookings 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so if in doubt reserve the dates you want (without obligation), and ask a question when making your booking reservation. This gives you a day or so to sort out flights and get answers to any questions you could not find answers to on the website.

Past bookings: 254 bookings

Response rate: 94%

Response time: within 3 hours

Last logged in: 19 hours ago

Number of properties: 2

I have owned and rented two properties through this website for many years and the properties have proved very popular. The properties are second homes and are treated and furnished as such, but with an eye to being practical for our guests, so that they can enjoy their holiday with some home comforts, like DVDs and CDs.
Central to the provision of a great holiday is a great local representative and we are fortunate to have two excellent local property managers. You always have access to the owner by email in any event. All emails are notified to me by text message through the system and I try to respond as soon as I reasonably can. This means a more prompt reply is usually provided than it would be if you were booking with a large company. We are not renting the properties to build a big business, but to cover expenses, which is more difficult to achieve than most people imagine. I am a lawyer and work rather long hours, but I am usually able to respond to emails quickly, albeit often late in the day. I have done my best to provide all the information you need on the website, so do try to look for an answer there before asking a question. Don't forget that people make bookings 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so if in doubt reserve the dates you want (without obligation), and ask a question when making your booking reservation. This gives you a day or so to sort out flights and get answers to any questions you could not find answers to on the website.